"EXCLUSIVE: New Hampshire Lawmaker Warns Of Revolution Over Immigration Reform"

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State Rep. Edmond Gionet (R-NH)

WARREN, NH — At Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s (R-NH) Warren Town Hall Tuesday, a Republican state legislator questioned the senator about whether she shared his concern that America was headed for an armed internal revolution due to President Obama’s immigration reform proposals and his pro-immigrant appointees. And, in an exclusive followup interview outside the forum, the lawmaker, New Hampshire State Rep. Edmond Gionet (R), explained to ThinkProgress that he believes “something is bound to happen” and “people are revolting because they’re looking to have a government in place that’s more user-friendly” to people like them.

As New Hampshire residents pressed Ayotte to respond to questions about her vote against enhanced background checks for gun purchasers, her hand-picked moderator instead called on Gionet. Ayotte had earlier recognized him among the honored guests present. Gionet praised Ayotte’s vote against background checks and then asked her about whether she shared his fear that fellow conservatives might need to overthrow the government.

GIONET: One of the things that concerns my constituents — the majority of my constituents –- is the appointments that are now being made in Washington by our President and the way he is handling the illegal immigrants, nationalizing them and giving them the opportunity to vote, and wanting to keep track of our guns. They are worried that they are going to have to use these guns because of our own government. Now is there anything in Washington that says — any telltale signs that maybe we might be headed for an internal revolution given the fact that these kinds of things are going on? This is what’s said in the groups that I sit in.

AYOTTE: Obviously, I hope not.

Watch the exchange:

Ayotte rushed from the event without answering media questions, but Gionet stuck around and elaborated to ThinkProgress on his concerns. He explained: “This morning, I was down at the Lions Club, at McDonald’s and this [photo of President Obama with Sec. of Transportation-Designate Anthony Foxx] was given to me. And they’re saying all the key positions… That’s the latest one. But even key positions within the White House are going to people that are going to promote his agenda. And this agenda doesn’t appear to be helping us to the extent that it should be. It might be that we’ve got the wrong slant on things, but here again we’re in our own world up here. We understand what we like, the lifestyles that we’ve had, the way the country should be run. And it’s just not happening.”

When asked by ThinkProgress how he would deal with undocumented immigrants who are already here, he replied: “The people that are here illegally, on our welfare rolls, should be checked. And unfortunately, they should be sent out, where they came from.”

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